It is absolutely forbidden to pick just one razor.....the more the merrier.....use one on one side and the other on the other...then a third razor for the neck.....Buy every razor you can possibly afford...and then a few more...then you will know the answer.

I've had both, kept only the Tradere. The Pils of that vintage (maybe 2011 I'd guess) had some quality issues if I recall, I ditched mine as it didn't shave even remotely close to it's price point. To be specific, the Pils was clunky of head, slippery of handle, and like I said had some gents feeling that the quality wasn't good. I see plenty for sale compared to some of the good razors of that age, say Bob's Razor Works or the Tradere. I always think if a low volume product comes up more than once every blue moon, there's a reason.

First shave with feather, tabac, and tradere not shabby. I still need to learn its angle but seems like it does have promise. A 3 pass dfs with hints of bbs here and there without any burn or nicks. Time will tell.

tried a Shark Chrome in the Pils for the last 2 days and although it didnt give me any burn or cuts, it still did not perform any better(or worse) than a Feather did which is odd as I get different feedback on different blades depending on the razor.

I enjoy both, and can achieve perfect shaves with either one, but I use the PILS far more frequently than the Tradere. The fit and finish of the PILS is superior and I actually like the balance. The heaviness of the head makes applying no pressure a breeze. I have never understood why people report that the PILS handle is slippery...if my hand is covered with lather even the grippiest of handles get slippery... the point being, wash the soap off your hand before you pick up the razor. I detect no slipperiness even with a wet hand with my PILS. As far as quality control issues go I have had none. I have owned two PILS razors, one from 2012 and the other from 2014. I sold the one from 2014 and kept the 2012, no corrosion issues whatsoever. I still also enjoy the Tradere, it shaves well and is a great razor, but vastly prefer the PILS.

Agreed with Nathan on pils quality and efficient shave . However , if you pair Tradere with ufo titan fine it's something really special . Actually , I like both razors equally . Things get complicated when Wolfman and bbs1 comes to play and you have four perfect razors to choose from which isn't a bad thing :-)

I am getting this week a trial pack of 10 blades per type of the following to complement my current inventory which so far has highlighted the Feather in my r41 as the best all around consistent shave.

I am hopeful that find a blade for each razor that hits the sweet spot(is possible different blade per razor) so I can really get a 1:1 comparison of each razor's best performance.

(09-08-2015, 06:18 AM)hillbillyreverend Wrote: I am getting this week a trial pack of 10 blades per type of the following to complement my current inventory which so far has highlighted the Feather in my r41 as the best all around consistent shave.

I am hopeful that find a blade for each razor that hits the sweet spot(is possible different blade per razor) so I can really get a 1:1 comparison of each razor's best performance.

At the moment I have
Dorco ST301
Feather
Astra Stainless
Astra SP
Merkur Super
Derby(crap to me)
Shark Chrome(not performing any better than the Feather in a Pils)
Shark Stainless
Supermax

My take on your blade options, starting with the first list.

I like the Kai and the GSB. The Polsilver SI is my favorite DE blade ever. The Permasharp is a great blade, too. I found Voshkod to and all versions of the Personna, including the Med Prep, to be vastly overrated on the forums. I guess what that means is that they work for a lot of people, but not so much for me. The Med Prep for me was tuggy, not sharp enough, not particularly smooth; disappointing overall. The Voshkod slightly better, but inferior to Ladas, for example.

Of the second list, I like Feather pretty well. I find the Astra Stainless to be superior to the Astra SP in every way. I like Supermax Platinums pretty well. I've never tried either of the Shark blades, nor have I tried the Merkur. The Derby is so-so on a good day.

I despise the Dorco ST-301 above all other blades I have tried. I would go back to canned goo and a 5-bladed monstrosity before I would shave for life with a Dorco blade.

Have fun with your blade experimentation. Your final evaluation is likely to differ from mine. I think blade evaluation is the most YMMV thing there is in shaving.

Having said that, if all I could get from now on for the rest of my life were Polsilver SIs and Permasharps, I'd be pretty content.